The implementation of the Affordable Care Act has proved to be anything but for all but poverty or near-poverty level citizens. For virtually all others, coverage has been reduced and/or premiums grossly increased beyond what they were prior to the law’s imposition. Clearly, the “affordability” of health care is perhaps worse than before, except for a small segment that now has access to free (or nearly so) insurance.
But let’s look at what happened. Under current law, everyone must have maternity care, even males and post-menopausal women, insurance companies stating that it is required for them to make a fair profit. If that is true, why have some of the world’s largest companies, health insurers and pharma, merging or proposing to merge since the law’s enactment? Because they don’t need to compete any more in order to make gross profits — the Affordable Care Act is guaranteed income! And as anyone knows, without competition, prices increase. That’s also why we’re taxed for not having insurance!
We need national health care, but not this. National health care should be a “bolt-on” to the Medicare system. Like current Medicare subscribers, those who get subsistence benefits would have the cost of insurance deducted from their overall benefit. (The current cost for Medicare premiums is around $160 a month.) Those wanting private insurance, similar to that available prior to the passage of the ACA, would, optionally, be free to purchase it at their own expense, not be forced into an overpriced, “one size fits all” approach.
Dave Martson
Marysville
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